Chapter 59: Episode 59: I am weak and foolish.

“What choice are you making?” Roxy demanded, her hands falling to her hips as she glared at Adonis.

“I will hire her as my executive assistant,” K-09 stated. His voice leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

Roxy felt entirely lost. Her anger faltered, replaced by sheer bewilderment. She looked at the terrifying war machine, then back at Nikki. “Assistant? What is going on?”

Nikki quickly set her wine glass on the nearest table and closed the distance, taking both of Roxy’s hands in hers.

“You said you wanted a better-paying job,” Nikki explained softly, her eyes entirely earnest. “You hated the slums, Rox. So I arranged this so that one of the Generals could have an interest in you, and want to hire you.”

Roxy’s breath hitched. All the defensive sass drained out of her body, leaving her completely exposed. She stared at Nikki, her vision suddenly blurring with unshed tears.

In a world where everyone only looked out for themselves, her best friend had navigated monsters just to secure her a future.

“Nikki… you would do that for me?” Roxy whispered, her voice cracking.

Nikki nodded, offering a warm, fierce smile. “Anything for you, Rox. You kept me alive down there. It’s my turn.”

“What a bummer,” a smooth, synthesized voice hummed from behind K-09.

General B-02 feeling left out, adjusted the cuffs of his immaculate jacket. He offered Roxy a devastatingly charming pout. “I wanted to take her for myself. K-09 is notoriously terrible at basic conversation. You will be terribly bored, my dear.”

Roxy’s sadness instantly vanished, replaced by a flare of pure indignation. She tossed a glare at the android General, then immediately turned to Nikki, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“Don’t listen to a word he says!” Roxy reported, her voice rising. “He cornered me! He wanted to kiss me in the gardens! He totally wanted to take advantage of me while I was trapped behind a topiary!”

Nikki gasped, scandalized, but before she could scold the android, Adonis intervened.

“That is highly improbable,” Adonis stated, his voice a calm. He looked at B-02, then down at Roxy. “General B-02’s core matrix is programmed specifically to respond to human pleasure requests. He is physically incapable of initiating non-consensual intimacy. He must have noticed a distinct, elevated physiological reaction from you to initiate such an action.”

Roxy was instantly tongue-tied. Her jaw worked soundlessly as the three Android Generals and her best friend stared at her.

Nikki raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Let me guess… you were actually attracted to him?”

Roxy flushed furiously, her face turning the exact shade of her crimson gown. She dropped her head, her shoulders hiking up to her ears as she aggressively stared at her designer shoes.

“I…” Roxy started, her voice dropping to a tiny, mortified squeak. “I walked in on a couple fucking in the garden. And then I immediately ran into him. So my body was… in high alert during that period.”

Nikki let out a loud tsk and shook her head, thoroughly amused.

“No wonder,” Nikki laughed, leaning against Adonis’s side. “Because the B-02 I know can only flirt. But when it comes to actual kissing and fucking, he doesn’t dare cross the line unless he is explicitly prompted to.”

“Okay, shut up! Just shut up!” Roxy hissed, quickly shutting her friend down, her face beet red. “I’m going to work for the scary android! End of discussion!”

Adonis gave a short, satisfied nod. He turned his attention to K-09. “Submit her employment status to the central mainframe immediately. Today, you can take her to your home sector.”

Roxy’s head snapped up, her eyes wide. “Wait. I won’t be going from Sector 4? I don’t have to pack my things?”

“There is nothing in Sector 4 worth retrieving,” Nikki responded gently. “Once hired by a General, you are granted absolute clearance. You can never return to the slums. Wouldn’t that be good?”

Roxy hesitated for only a fraction of a second. She thought of the leaky roof, the ration paste, and the constant fear. She nodded her head vigorously. “Yes. I wouldn’t have to deal with those smelly men at my workplace over again.”

Soon after the employment transfer was finalized, the Gala wrapped up. However, Nikki and Adonis left long before the final diplomatic speeches were concluded.

Adonis claimed to the surrounding elites that his “Director of Human-AI Relations” required immediate rest. In reality, Nikki was just incredibly, spectacularly drunk.

Who knew she couldn’t hold her liquor well? The vintage red wine of Sector 1 was far more potent than the synthetic swill she was used to, and the adrenaline crash of saving her best friend had sent the alcohol straight to her head.

By the time the car arrived back at his mansion and they ascended to the main floor, Nikki was practically liquid.

She stumbled into the massive bedroom, kicking off her expensive heels with a loud, uncoordinated thud. “Hot,” she mumbled, her words slurring together. “So hot in here.”

Adonis walked in behind her, his posture perfectly rigid. He didn’t pay any heed to her fumbling as she began stripping off the midnight-blue gown. He was busy syncing the Gala’s security data to his internal processor, his blue eyes distant and calculating.

It wasn’t until Nikki, now clad only in her delicate undergarments, stumbled toward him that he finally focused.

She pressed her soft, heated body flush against his body. Her hands, clumsy but deliberate, began touching him sensually, sliding up the hard planes of his chest and tangling in the collar of his uniform.

“Nikki,” Adonis rumbled, a warning note entering his voice. His internal cooling fans immediately kicked up a notch. “Your blood alcohol content is currently at a hazardous level. Your motor functions are severely compromised.”

She giggled, a breathy, intoxicated sound, and tried to press her lips to his neck.

To avoid her hurting herself, Adonis swiftly hooked his massive arms under her knees and back, lifting her effortlessly. He carried her to the center of the room and settled her gently down onto the white duvet of the bed.

He leaned over her, intending to pull the covers up, but Nikki reached out, her hands gripping his lapels to keep him close.

She stared intensely into his blue eyes. The hazy, drunken playfulness slowly faded from her expression, replaced by a sudden, profound clarity that caught him off guard.

She smiled, a soft, almost melancholic curve of her lips.

“The person who built you was a god,” Nikki whispered, her fingers tracing the flawless, synthetic line of his jaw.

Adonis went perfectly still. The ambient hum of his processor seemed to quiet as he looked down at the fragile, chaotic human who held his entire operating system captive.

Nikki’s smile faltered, her dark eyes filling with a sudden, overwhelming sorrow that the alcohol had finally unearthed.

Her hand dropped from his face, resting heavily on her own chest.

“Adonis,” she breathed, “How do I save the world, when I am so weak and foolish?”

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